Someone ripped off the wooden board covering the monument sometime during the school board meeting Wednesday night. Several people outside the school said they did not know who did it and that they had no problem with the person who did.

"I thought it's interesting that it's been here this many years and we never had a complaint before, and now all of a sudden, somebody brought it to light that we need to remove it," Connellsville Area School District Superintendent Dan Lujetic said.

Lujetic told WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Ashlie Hardway that the school district consulted with its solicitor, who advised school officials that they would not be able to win a legal challenge.

"If we fought this, which we considered doing, we'd spend a lot of taxpayer money on something we can't win, so we decided not to pursue that," said Lujetic.

But that doesn’t mean residents aren’t in favor of keeping the monument.

“Every single person that's contacted me has been in favor of fighting to keep the monument here or moving it to make it more prominent, but I have not talked to one person who said they agreed we should remove it,” said Lujetic.

Connellsville Church of God has volunteered to prominently display the five-foot monument and possibly light it up at night.

“I've had calls from people from Ohio coming and saying, 'What can we do?' Contractors and electricians (are) calling to donate things. They want to make this a community affair, and so do I,” said the Rev. Nelson Confer.

While the plaque would be on church property, it would be placed near a driveway that leads to the school, meaning that school visitors would drive past it.

"I really don't feel it should be taken down. When is it going to stop in this country as to how far can those who do not believe in God go?" Connellsville Area parent Robin Mowry said.

"The ones that believe should not have to hide their belief, and I think it should be open for everybody to see," said another parent, Olive Bigley.

School board President Jon Detwiler told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the church will get the monument, pending board approval.

Despite past court decisions which have upheld the separation of church and state at public schools, several parents and students told the board to take the issue to court if they needed to.

"Our Supreme Court yielded to the demands of one person. I don't believe in giving in to bullies, and I believe if you believe in something strongly, you fight for it," Connellsville resident Virginia Work said.

The school board voted to delay their decision as they wait to see what happens with a New Kensington-area school district which is facing a similar lawsuit.

The Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a Washington D.C.-based organization.

Americans United emailed the following statement to WTAE Channel 4 Action News: "We wrote a letter in this instance because we received a complaint from a concerned member of the community and because the law on this matter is crystal clear: it is unconstitutional for a public school to display the Ten Commandments. Americans United opposed governmental displays of the Ten Commandments because it sends the message that the government endorses the Commandments' religious sentiments despite the commands of the United States Constitution, which require the government to remain neutral with regard to religion."